Gatti
by CrimsonWolf
Summary: The Vision of Escaflowne from Gatti's pov.
1. Fanelia

I was only thirteen when I came here Blue, 27th Moon, two years ago. I hate it. I, along with many other boys, was sent to General Adelphus. Only fifteen of us made the cut. We would be sent to become Zaibach's elite unit, the best. I would be one of the best soldiers in Zaibach! We would be called the Ryuugekitai, the Dragonslayers, under the command of Dilandau Albatou.  
  
One boy, his name was Chesta. He had spirit. He looked so young with that bowl-cut hair and those china blue eyes.  
  
Another's name was Dallet. He had been under Adelphus's command since he was seven, he bragged. He was one to do that. Everyone called him vain, which he really actually was. I remember at night, when we would come in from training, he would pull his long brown hair back into a ponytail and sometimes even stare at himself in the mirror.  
  
Then, of course there was Viole. He was the youngest of us all. When he came, the same time as I, he was only eleven years old. He would have corrected me and made it very clear that he was eleven and a half, though. His hair, it was awful. Big curls hung around his face, and he kept the rest in a ponytail. He looked like a girl, for the sake of the gods!  
  
Daniel was there, too. He was the only one of us with glasses. He looked like such a nerd. He lived up to that, too. I never really told him how much I liked his hair. It was short and black. A buzz cut, actually. He just had cool hair, okay?  
  
And who could forget Guimel? That moron was always cracking a joke or doing something funny. His hair was blond and curly and looked like a sheep's. We all joked with him on how coming from a shepherds' family had rubbed of on him, mainly his hair.  
  
Miguel, what's to be said about Miguel? Well, he was one of the more, let's say ambitious of us. He trained earlier in the morning and later at night than any of us. He was so devoted to being the best, impressing Lord Dilandau.  
  
Lord Dilandau had a look to him. His skin was pale and it seemed his eyes always screamed for more blood. If there was anyone more vain than Dallet, it was Lord Dilandau. Whenever we did something wrong, he hit us. It hurt, too. We all came to fear him. We feared him more than death itself. Though, there was something. I'm not sure how it happened. Not only did we come to fear Lord Dilandau, but also there was somewhere along the line an admiration and a reliance that we all had for him.  
  
It was just we seven in one group; I didn't know the rest of us too well. Of course Lord Dilandau had his own quarters.  
  
My home now is in Zaibach. It used to be that my family lived in Fanelia. I loved it there. It was so green and always smelled like spring. It was called the land of the dragons. We moved here to Zaibach when King Goau died and Prince Folken was slain. I can still remember those days. I must have only been six then. The royal family was always very social with us commoners. Prince Van, my sister, and I would always play in the gardens. Us two boys had to look after Callie, my sister. She was only three. We really were the best of friends, Van and I. Secretly; I called him just Van. He said I could. He actually told me to. But, when Folken failed to return, my father lost faith in the royal family. So, we moved here to Zaibach.  
  
There is a rumor going around that we are to launch a surprise attack soon. No one knows on who or what. Of course we all pretty much think that Guimel started it.  
  
We are called to Lord Dilandau's throne room. I get up from where I sit. Most of the rest of us are already in the throne room when Guimel, Daniel, and I arrive. Lord Dilandau gives us a sharp glare as we enter.  
  
"We will launch an attack on Fanelia in one hour." Lord Dilandau glares at the line of us as he paces before us. "Orders of General Adelphus."  
  
Fanelia?  
  
Lord Dilandau continues, "Attacking will be, Chesta, Dallet, Viole, Guimel and…" He scans our line for another. Please don't let it be me. "Gatti," Lord Dilandau finishes.  
  
I want to die right now and here. What is the attack for? Why, out of fifteen of us, did I have to be one of them?  
  
Lord Dilandau sees my troubled look. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"N-No Lord Dilandau," I answer nervously.  
  
"Good. See that it stays that way. You launch in one hour." He glances around at us once more, just to see if any of us are out of line a single bit. "Dismissed."  
  
"Gatti, what's wrong? You don't seem like yourself," Dallet asks as we walk down to the hanger.  
  
"It's nothing." I look ahead to the doors at the end of the hall. It's as if it's not coming soon enough; part of me wants to get it over with. For the other part, it's coming all too fast. I swallow hard.  
  
"Geez, we just need to crash down some city! I don't really think it's much to get worked up about." Guimel walks up on the two of us.  
  
"Yeah. You're right." He isn't right. It's not just some city. It's Fanelia. I am on my way to rampage Fanelia. I feel like I'll vomit.  
  
We're very near Fanelia as some wolf men pass us. One, riding on a doris, seems to notice us. No, I'm just nervous. We can't be seen through our stealth cloaks. Tightly I squeeze my eyes closed and take a few deep breaths, hoping it will calm me down.  
  
The snakelike periscope of whoever is in front of me rises into the air and twists around, scouting the surrounding area.  
  
"Alright, boys. We aren't to far from Fanelia. Lez go!" Guimel announces as his Alseids lunges forward. I follow.  
  
The sun is setting as we approach Fanelia. There must be something going on, because no one is running around on the streets. There is a large crowd near town square, but the only people that are anywhere near the front of the city are guards.  
  
A lookout spots us. Another runs over to him. Viole shoots a stream of liquid metal at the two. It hits them and goes into the building before he retracts the claw.  
  
Our footsteps are heavy as we approach the city. Men with spears run up ahead of us. They're saying something. I can't hear them. Guimel, being at out head, crashes down a giant mechanical foot. The men scatter. As we crash through the city, a commotion starts up further.  
  
Soon, Fanelian guymelifs emerge. Dallet hits one through the chest, slamming the melif against a wall. Guimel does the same. A Fanelian guymelif charges. I shoot liquid metal through his back. Blood streams out of the melif as the hot liquid races back to my claw. Chesta and Viole strike down men also. I continue to fight.  
  
A muscular man steps out, leading more melifs. He unwraps a sword that must be thirteen feet long. He then attacks us as if he were a melif himself!  
  
We go on like that for a while, how long I can't tell. Then Chesta busts into what looks like a temple or a shrine. Dallet soon follows him. From what I can see, that man without a melif cuts off Dallet's crima claw. Then, they're out of my sight. So, I keep fighting.  
  
Dallet stumbles backwards. By now the city is in burning ruins. A white guymelif runs out from the shrine. Chesta's guymelif doesn't.  
  
"Chesta!" I yell.  
  
I get no answer.  
  
"Chesta!" I yell again.  
  
"Gatti?" I am relieved at the sound of his voice. "Gatti, my melif is pretty badly damaged. Lord Dilandau's gonna kill me!"  
  
That man is on Dallet's guymelif. If he digs that sword in any deeper, he'll slice through Dallet's skull! I fire a single strip of metal at the man. It pierces him through the chest. He falls and lands at the white guymelif's feet.  
  
The remaining four of us gather around the white melif, ready to strike. Suddenly, a pillar of light appears, and they are lifted into the sky.  
  
"Damn it!" Viole shouts.  
  
"Chetsa, can you move?" I ask.  
  
"I think so…" After a few seconds, Chesta runs out of the shrine.  
  
"Man, is Lord Dilandau gonna kick our asses!" Dallet says, mainly to Chesta.  
  
"We'd better head back." Viole's Alseids lifts into the air and heads toward the Vione.  
  
"So I'm to understand that you let those bumpkin samurai damage two of my Alseids units? Two!" Lord Dilandau sits on his throne, his face darker than usual. He's angry. He's more than angry. He's ready to kill each in every one of us. Dallet, Chesta, Guimel, Viole, and I pretty much cower before him. Lord Dilandau bites down on his gloved middle finger.  
  
"F-Forgive us!" Dallet and Chesta stammer as they bow their heads and kneel down further.  
  
Lord Dilandau keeps his face pretty calm. He's containing all that anger. The calm before the storm won't last for long. We all know who's going to get all of it. Dallet and Chesta are trembling like crazy. Lord Dilandau stands up, ready to unleash Hell. "Step forward!"  
  
I look away as he slams his palm against their faces, knocking them off their feet.  
  
"You had stealth cloaks! How could you let this happen?! Are you trying to ruin my reputation?"  
  
Clearly hurting from the blows, both Dallet and Chesta scramble to their knees and bow so far they almost touch their faces to the ground.  
  
"F-Forgive us!" they again stutter, not so much for the sake of repetition, more because he scares them both to death.  
  
"I'm only going to say this once. I don't need a couple of incompetents in my Dragonslayers. Do you follow me?" A smile spreads across his face as Dallet and Chesta let out a "Yes Sir!" in response. He loves the power. None of us dare look up as he turns and leaves. 


	2. Memories

* * * * *  
  
Callie giggled as she ran up to her blue-eyed brother. He smiled down at the little girl as she hugged him. "Callie," the seven-year-old boy said fondly.  
  
"I found you!" Callie, only five, said happily.  
  
"Good job, little sister. But, where is the prince?" he winked at the young girl and nodded toward some bushes in the Fanelian garden.  
  
Callie laughed quietly and ran over to the bushes. "Come out, Van!"  
  
The raven-haired prince stood from under the bushes and smiled as he brushed himself off. "You found me."  
  
"Yep!" Callie said as she winked at her brother. Gatti winked back and, they all laughed.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------  
  
Later, a man sat by his wife as they looked out at the sunset. His arm was around her, and she leaned into him lovingly. "It's beautiful," the woman said.  
  
The man simply nodded. "Anita, I don't know how much longer we should stay here. I think it's in our family's best interests to move." As he spoke, he kept his eyes on the setting sun and the blood red sky.  
  
"What?" She looked up at her husband. "But, Jim, this is all we've ever known. Fanelia's our home."  
  
"I know, my love, I know." He looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. "We both grew up here, and I too had hope that Gatti and Callie would too. But, I just don't think it's going to be this wonderful much longer."  
  
Anita's look saddened, knowing her husband was right.  
  
"With King Goau dead and Prince Folken gone as well, all we have for a knig is the young Van, and he's no older than Gatti."  
  
"I know, my dear husband, I know." Anita buried her face in Jim's tunic and cried.  
  
Gatti watched the two from where they couldn't see him. Where they leaving Fanelia?  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its charaters. 


	3. Gotta Get Away

I sit on my bed, thinking. Thinking about the past, about Fanelia. It was a beautiful place. It was a beautiful place then. Now, it is nothing more than ashes. I let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"Gatti, what's up?" Guimel asks.  
  
"Nothing," I answer wearily.  
  
"Well then, why the long face?" he asks.  
  
"I just don't feel too well." I look up at him, and try to smile a bit, maybe just a little, but I don't. I feel too horrible to even fake it. Instead, I look at him with sorrowful eyes that say all too much.  
  
"Gatti?" Chesta leans over to look at me.  
  
"Nothing's wrong, okay?!" I yell.  
  
Guimel draws back. "Okay. Someone's edgy tonight."  
  
Chetsa just gives me a concerned look.  
  
"Damn it, I just don't feel well!" I stand up and leave.  
  
I'm not exactly sure where I'm going, because I have nowhere to go. But, I continue down the hall. I just need to get away. Away from them, away from this entire place. No more orders, just me, on my own. Free to do what I want. I let out a sigh. I don't think that will be happening anytime soon. Especially with all this talk about Emperor Dornkirk's new fate alteration experiments. But, I need to get out of here.  
  
It's strangely ironic when I think of why I came here in the first place: To get away. Ah, the adventure! To be a Zaibach Soldier was something I had never even dreamed of. Then, a recruit came. It all sounded wonderful. But, now, now that I'm here . . . I sigh quietly. It's not what I thought. Then again, I guess it is. I just don't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would.  
  
I hear footsteps from around the corner and tense up. But, when Miguel emerges, I relax.  
  
"Miguel, it's only you," I say.  
  
"Yeah." He's holding a stack of letters, and he looks down at them.  
  
"Mail come?" I ask.  
  
"Yeah. I think there's something in here for you, too." He finally pulls out a letter and hands it to me.  
  
"Thanks." I look down at the letter and smile a bit as soon as I read the name.  
  
"Sure." Miguel continues down the hall.  
  
I sit down then and lean against the wall as I hastily open the letter. "Kira," I mouth lovingly. As I read her words, my mood instantly improves. That's another reason I want to go home, for her. We're to be married. The day I met her was perhaps the happiest of my entire life. I love her so much, and I miss her even more. If I had one wish, it would be to be back in her arms for just a little while, to feel her warmth. She always ends her letter 'I'll see you soon'. Always assuring me that I'll be out of this hellhole someday. Someday soon.  
  
When I arrive back in our room, I'm wearing a warm smile.  
  
"What changed your mood?" Guimel asked.  
  
I simply shrug in response.  
  
He gives me a weird look.  
  
"It's Sakira, isn't it?" Dallet asks.  
  
I offer no response. They know the answer.  
  
"Oh," Guimel says.  
  
"You mean, she can cheer you up without even trying, and we try and can't?!"  
  
"Chesta, women have a strange power over men, you'll discover it someday, when you're older." Guimel grinned.  
  
Dallet and Viole laughed along with Daniel, and I couldn't help but join them.  
  
"Hey!" Chesta glared at Guimel, who just laughed.  
  
  
  
---- Soooo, what do we think? Like, Kira-chan? Review, everybody! 


End file.
